’60 Minutes’ Obama/Clinton Interview, Though Criticized, Is A Ratings Draw

The Atlanticsays Steve Kroft’s “softball” interview with President Obama and Secy. of State Clinton “ought to earn him a rebuke from his peers in the news business but almost certainly won’t.” The Baltimore Sun thinks CBS and Kroft were “happily allowing themselves to be used,” by the president. While Bill O’Reilly called the interview “disappointing. “I respect Steve Kroft, I don’t know why he didn’t ask hard questions,” O’Reilly said leading off his show Monday night.

Kroft tells the AP’s David Bauder, “I would have liked very much to delve into some areas of foreign policy and what is going on in the world, but it was not anything we could take on in 30 minutes.” And about the criticism, he says, “This is something that has not been on my radar screen.”

Still, 11.65 million people watched the two-part interview making Sunday’s “60 Minutes” the No. 7 show of the week.